Monday, January 30, 2012

I have decided to try out a new section today and couldn't have chosen a better band to do so with. 2011 was packed with so many astounding releases, but this one in particular flew under the radar due to the lack of hype/talk surrounding it. I had heard this album around September, fell in love with it, but forgot about it completely while compiling my "Top 15 Releases..." list. Now it is time to bring it back to life, alongside a new section I have entitled, "Check This Out".

Yellow Eyes is an Atmospheric Black Metal band from New York City. Nine gorgeous tracks make-up "Silence Threads...", five of which are instrumentals. Upon first glance this may be off-putting to many, but never fear, as this is all part of the formula that makes Yellow Eyes so interesting.

Being a three-piece, Yellow Eyes only utilize two-guitarists and a drummer. However, the songwriting is not compromised, and the prescence of catchy, beautiful riffs is not in short supply either. The album opens with the very ambient "Guilt Lingers at Sunrise", which lays a calm foundation from which the album builds upwards from. Every single track on this album is filled to the brim with breathtaking riffs, creating soundscapes that show slight resemblence to the "Cascadian-style" that has become increasingly popular as of recent. The drums pound alongside the sweeping riffs while the vocals, although at times are scarce, take heavy influence from Weakling, and ultimately help to complete the cold "aura" that surrounds this release. Production-wise, this is low-fi, but not intolerable for those whom are anal about production quality. It fits, and if this album was produced well, I feel it would lose a lot of the essence it is so abundant with. Jumping from moments of fast-blasting to intricate, almost Post-Rock-esque sectiongs, Yellow Eyes certainly know how to intertwine genres in a way that feels like warm-blood running through a tired formulas cold-veins. Well done.

Any fans of Atmospheric Black Metal may enjoy this. I highly urge you to check this group out, truly interesting and fresh material in a scene that has become overpopulated with sub-par acts.